Powerpuff Girls Z
Demashita! Powerpuff Girls Z (出ましたっ!パワパフガールズZ, Demashita! Pawapafu Gāruzu Zetto, roughly They're Here! Powerpuff Girls Z) is the name for a Japanese television anime based upon the American animated television series The Powerpuff Girls. The anime is produced by Cartoon Network, Toei Animation, and Aniplex; with Yoshiya Ayugai and Mark Buhaj of Cartoon Network, Hiromi Seki, Hideo Katsumata producing, Hiroyuki Kakudou directing and Miho Shimogasa (of Sailor Moon fame) doing character design. As production occurs in Japan, Craig McCracken, the original creator of The Powerpuff Girls, is not directly involved in this project. The series, an anime reimagining of The Powerpuff Girls, debuted in Japan on July 1, 2006, on TV Tokyo, where the Japanese version of the original Powerpuff Girls premiered, as well as its affiliates, replacing Sugar Sugar Rune in its time slot, Saturday at 7:00 a.m. JST. Its final episode aired on June 30, 2007. Its time was replaced by Fight Tension School on July 7, 2007. Since August 1, 2006, it has also aired on AT-X. Since April 1, 2007, the program airs on Cartoon Network in Japan. The initial order was for about 52 episodes at 30 minutes each. Recently, Nami Miyahara, the voice actress of Miyako and Bubbles, posted an entry on her blog in which she mentions working with the staff and cast of the series after having not worked on the series for so long. As to whether or not this is referring to more episodes, an OVA, or a movie being produced is currently unknown. Cartoon Network has said it will be showing the anime worldwide. Taiwan became the first country to air the show outside Japan when the show aired there on January 21, 2008. The Ocean Group has also dubbed the official English version of the show and has been shown on several English-speaking markets; it is unknown when the show will make its appearance in the United States. A Latin-American dub premiered on August 2, 2008, although a pre-premiere was done on July 13, 2008. Most of the original dubbing cast returned to reprise their roles. The manga of the same name was introduced in the August 2006 issue of Ribon, published in July 3, 2006. The girls (especially Bubbles) were designed the same way they were in this show for the Fusionfall Universe computergame universe. Powerpuff Girls Z The Powerpuff Girls Z are the main heroines of the series. They are three thirteen-year-old girls from three different families, unlike the original Powerpuff Girls who were sisters created by Professor Utonium and attended kindergarten. When Chemical Z(A mutated form of Chemical X) exploded into multiple black and white lights, Momoko Akatsutsumi, Miyako Gotokuji, and Kaoru Matsubara received white lights when they protected nearby children from it. Under the condition to keep their identity a secret as long as their needs were met, the girls transform into Hyper Blossom, Rolling Bubbles, and Powered Buttercup to protect Tokyo City. Momoko, Miyako and Kaoru use a yo-yo, a bubble wand and a hammer as their weapons, respectively. In addition, they all have basic abilities such as enhanced strength, enhanced speed, flight, weapon materialization, and atmosphere resistance. Their costumes also have some special abilities, including the ability to fit anyone of any size and withstand strong physical impact. The girls' battle cry is "The Lovely Fighting Science Legend: Powerpuff Girls Z!" * Momoko Akatsutsumi (Japanese: 赤堤ももこ Akatsutsumi Momoko)/'Hyper Blossom' (Japanese: ハイパー・ブロッサ� ' ''Haipā Burossamu) Seiyū: Emiri Katou English Voice Actor: Nicole Bouma. Birthday: June 14 Momoko is the first member of the Powerpuff Girls Z squad. She transforms using the phrase "Hyper Blossom" and fights villains with a yo-yo. Like the original, she's the self-proclaimed leader of the team. She is a bit boy-crazy, and is an otaku. She is very familiar with the maho shōjo genre, along with some typical anime/super sentai concepts and is famous for being a "hero maniac" in school, especially by Kaoru. Momoko also has a strong appetite for candies and other sweets, and spends much of her time snacking. Because of this, most of her attacks are named after food. In addition, she dislikes celery and is afraid of bugs and dentists. Although she can be easily distracted and has been known to whine, Momoko tries her best to protect Tokyo City, lead the girls, and help her friends regardless of her situation. Often she can be very clever and crafty when needed, usually being the first come up with a plan to trick or defeat villains/monsters. She has a younger sister named Kuriko. She is represented by hearts. She dreams of being married in the future. * / . Birthday: April 20 Miyako is the second member of the Powerpuff Girls Z team. She transforms using the phrase "Rolling Bubbles" and uses a bubble wand as a weapon. In comparison to the original Bubbles, who was known for being the most childish of the girls, Miyako is quite mature, but she's the ditsiest member of the three, often appearing a bit clueless, and doesn't seem to understand her powers completely, along with a few other things. She is the only member of the girls who, like some villains, end a few sentences with a phrase. Her phrase is desu wa. She is very friendly and polite, as she always uses honorifics at the end of names, although she too can be angered when provoked. Trendy and stylish, Miyako enjoys shopping and fashion the most. Although she is popular with the boys at school, she already has feelings for Takkaaki (Taka-chan), a boy who saved her from bullies when she was six. She also uses curlers (3 balls on each pigtail) when going to bed. Miyako/Bubbles remains typified, however, by the original's compassion, gentleness and innocence, as well as her love of animals and her favorite doll, Octi. She lives with only her grandmother. Her parents live in Kyoto. She is represented by bubbles. She dreams of being a fashion designer or model in the future. * / . Birthday: November 6 Kaoru is the third and final member of the Powerpuff Girls Z team. She transforms using the phrase "Powered Buttercup" and uses a Daruma Otoshi hammer. She hates skirts and other girly things, which is the reason why she was reluctant to join the group. In fact, she even hates girls who are too girly. Designed as an homage to Ranma 1/2's tomboy Akane Tendo and like the original Buttercup, Kaoru is a tomboy and is the most easily enraged of the three. Famous for being the most athletic girl in school, Kaoru enjoys all kinds of sports and spends a great deal of time watching sports on television. She is especially good at soccer. Much to her dismay, she is well-admired by a lot of fangirls in school. She speaks with a hard and masculine edge and rarely uses honorifics when speaking. Her greatest fear is ghosts. Kaoru lives with her father, who is a professional masked-wrestler, mother and two brothers, one older and one younger. It is thought that she has feelings for Butch because in episode 51 when the girls kissed the Rowdyruff boys, Buttercup was the last to stop because she was told that she could stop now. She is represented by stars. She dreams of being a professional wrestler like her dad in the future. Supporting characters Professor Utonium (ユートニウ� 博士, Yūtoniumu-Hakase?, Seiyū: Taiten Kusunoki English Voice Actor: Louis Chirillo): This series' version of Professor Utonium. His real name is unknown, aside from his family name Kitazawa (北沢). In this incarnation, he has a son named Ken, who is responsible for all those affected by the Chemical Z lights, especially the Powerpuff Girls Z. Professor Utonium was originally experimenting with the substance Chemical X and strove to find a way to change its chemical properties. Professor Utonium has created several inventions throughout the series; the most important one being his Chemical Z Particle Ray, which allows him to transform those affected by the lights back to normal (although it doesn't prevent recurring transformations nor is it able to work on all black light victims). He seems to be aware of the effect Ken's lack of a mother has had on his son, assuming that it had caused him to be a bully to the girls. However, this does not change his behavior towards Ken. He appears to be a gentle father figure like the original Professor Utonium was in The Powerpuff Girls. He treats the girls like members of his family and is very close to the Mayor and Miss Bellum. While he is very gentle and serious, Professor Utonium may, at times, act a little less mature than he usually does. In episode 37, when the Powerpuff Girls Z are "grounded" from using their powers for a day when they have to take a test in school, Professor Utonium fills in for them, donning an exosuit with a laser beam gun and rocket pack, calling himself "Utonium Z" (this is most likely based on the American cartoon episode "Powerprof" in which he also donned a fighting suit but drove the girls crazy with lame one-liners during battles). He also appears to have a mecha that looks like Utonium Z, which he uses against the Mojo Robo. Although he seems unsuccessful at first, he is able to defeat Mojo Jojo, Fuzzy Lumpkins, and the Amoeba Boys. His main attack is the Uto Beam. At the end of the episode, Ken, Peach and himself call themselves "Powerpuff Boys Z" as their own self-proclaimed superhero team. Ken Kitazawa (北沢ケン, Kitazawa Ken?, Seiyū: Makiko Ohmoto English Voice Actor: Cathy Weseluck): A young boy genius, the 8 year-old son of Professor Utonium who is somewhat responsible for turning regular girls into the Powerpuff Girls Z and numerous other characters into villains using Chemical Z. He used it to blast a glacier in order to set the weather back to normal, but the impact resulted in the explosion of several lights, which affected all those who came in contact with it. Despite being younger than the girls, he acts a lot more mature and the education he receives from his father is considered more advanced than what the girls learn in their school, earning his PhD at an early age. Ken, in a later episode, attended school in order to gain social skills and make friends. While he considers grade school life boring, he has made several friends, including Jou (who was originally his rival) and Kuriko (Momoko's little sister). Ken sees the girls as older sisters and has to often put up with them, though he still cares for them deeply. Ken interchanges between calling Professor Utonium Papa and Professor. During a serious situation (such as a monster attack or investigative purposes) he will try to refer to Utonium as "Professor," but in less serious situations (like packing a lunch) he will call him "Papa." Ken often corrects himself, because he usually uses the wrong honorific (eg. "Papa, I mean, Professor"). In Episode 26, it is revealed that Ken's mother works on a space station, therefore making her very busy and unable to be with Ken. Thanks to the girls and Santa Claus (whom he believed did not exist at first based on a 70% possibility), he was able to see her and is now able to communicate with her clearly on the lab's monitor. In episode 37, when the Powerpuff Girls Z are "grounded" from using their powers for a day when they have to take a test in school, Ken fills in for them, donning a superhero suit consisting of a black bodysuit, a white cape, white gloves, white boots, a red vest with gold shoulder pads and a yellow "Z" on it, and a blue helmet with the yellow letters "KK" on it, while brandishing a blue polearm with a yellow "U" at the end, and calling himself "Ken Kitazawa Z". Despite having no powers or attacks, he uses traps and other props as weapons when he defends their lab from the Gangreen Gang, ultimately driving them off by tricking them into drinking bottles of hot sauce (thinking they were the containers of Chemical Z). Ken's pre-production art bares a strong resemblance to Dexter from Dexter's Laboratory, even the current incarnation. However, in one of the special edition DVD booklets, it is explained the design originated from Kid Utonium from the original series. Peach (ピーチ, Pīchi?, Seiyū: Tomoko Kaneda): Ken's pet robot dog. Peach was also affected by a white light, gaining the ability to talk, as well as a considerable boost in intelligence. Peach's shout prompts the girls to transform either in person or through a long-distance communication device, although a modification to the girls' compacts allows them to transform on their own. Additionally, Peach can re-summon the girls' powers, even when their powers are drained. Peach is also capable of sniffing out those who are affected by the black lights, white lights, and Him's black particles. The black light monsters/villains that have been sniffed by Peach are stored in his data banks for later reference. This ability, however, is hindered if his target is wearing heavy cosmetics (as was the case with Sedusa). Peach is also capable of sniffing and identifying others more clearly than other dogs, even when someone's appearance has been completely changed. Peach's phrases always end with a bark (or "wan," literally his bark). He is also able to understand cats. It is possible Peach is based after "The Talking Dog" as well as the Powerpuff Hotline. Like many recurring characters, he was given his own symbol, a Bone. In episode 37, when the Powerpuff Girls Z are "grounded" from using their powers for a day when they have to take a test in school, Peach fills in for them, wearing a skintight brown jumpsuit with black trim, and brandishing a nunchaku made of two bones linked together, and calling himself "Peach Z". He assists Ken in dealing with the Gangreen Gang, making short work of them with his nunchaku. Mayor Mayer (メイヤー市長, Meiyā Shichō?, Seiyū: Hideyuki Tanaka Voice Actor: Alec Willows): The Mayor of Tokyo City. His design is distinctly different from his American counterpart, as he is of normal height and has no monocle or top hat. A caveman version of the Mayor that is closer to the original design does make an appearance in episode 51 briefly. While less extreme in comparison to the Mayor of Townsville, the Mayor of Tokyo is very childish and has a very short attention span. He seems to worry quite a lot when the girls are fighting, and wishes that they could cause a little less damage. The Mayor, like many of the characters in the anime, loves sweets. The Mayor also has a younger brother, who is the Principal of the school Momoko, Miyako, and Kaoru attend. It was through him that Miss Bellum and the Mayor were able rearrange the classes, so that the girls would be in the same class. However, the Mayor and the Principal, don't always get along, and even the most minor of things will set off an argument, which often time leads to name calling. He also deals with his brother when the girls aren't doing well in class due to them skipping class to save the city. Miss Bellum(ミス・ベラ� , Misu Beramu?, Seiyū: Yōko Kawanami English Voice Actor: Nicole Oliver): Like the original Miss Bellum, her face doesn't appear on screen; however, unlike the original, she is now blonde. Usually, Miss Bellum covers her face with a tablet computer, which has lips imprinted on it. While the Mayor is different from his original counterpart, Miss Bellum still does most of his work for him, and still appears to be the brains of the operation. She also instructs the girls a bit, which she has done several times in the original. Fuzzy Lumpkins has a crush on her; however, she dislikes Fuzzy. In Episode 51, a pre-historic version of Miss Bellum is shown as the inventor of fire after being hit by a way-ward Chemical Z Light particle that scattered across Earth's timeline. At one point in pre-production, Miss Bellum had facial features. Miss Keane (キーン先生, Kīn-sensei?, Seiyū: Tomoko Akiya): Another "returning" supporting character, Ms. Keane first appears in episode 3. She is very pretty and loved by her male students, although the female students don't like her as much, especially Himeko. Miss Keane, like the original, is kind and incredibly patient. She is talented in many ways, which she used to counter Momoko, Miyako, and Kaoru's excuses; this includes knowledge on medicine for non-existent medical conditions, such as dislocation of the stomach, and is able to speak mole and English. She is also unfazed by the destruction Mojo causes and speaks to him as if he were a normal human being. In fact, in episode 33 when Mojo asks her out on a date, she gladly accepts and even enjoys the date (though she still treats him as a monkey, as in ordering a "monkey ticket" for him at a movie house while getting an adult ticket for herself). At the end of that episode, though, it is also revealed that Miss Keane has a mole-man boyfriend named Uneo, who appears in an earth-tunneling vehicle that emerges from the ground to pick her up. Family Members '''Kuriko Akatsutsumi: Momoko Akatsutsumi's 8-year-old sister, Kuriko seems to be just as hyper and addicted to the sentai/hero genre as her older sister. She is very independent and likes to pretend she is a heroine. She seems to admire the Powerpuff Girls Z and wishes to be a heroine just like them (she tried to defeat Mojo's robot with a broom). She likes Bubbles and Buttercup, but she doesn't really like Blossom (who is actually the alter-ego of Momoko). She also seems to be looking for new ways to annoy her sister. She appears to be quite interested in Ken, especially when she realizes that he knows her sister. Similarly, Ken seems interested in her because of her resemblance to Momoko. Kiyoko Gotokuji: Miyako's grandmother, generally referred to as Obachan, who Miyako lives with in a large traditional style house. She is gentle sounding and usually gets distracted by nostalgic things, but she can also be strict when it comes to manners. You also never see her eyes ever open, as they are always closed to portray a happy feeling. She is a traditional Japanese woman. Tokio Matsubara: Kaoru's father, a professional wrestler and loving family man who is never seen without his mask. He left for Mexico when Kaoru was young, and studied the art of the Luchador after experiencing a losing streak that could have cost him his career. His teacher was severely injured in what is implied to be his final match. Kaoru's father was given his teacher's mask, which in true lucha spirit, he never removes (except when taking a shower). Since then, Kaoru has forgotten what her father's face looks like. There is no photograph in their family album that shows what his real face looks like either, mirroring Miss Bellum's running gag. After he wins the match against Panda Mask, Kaoru finally got to see her dad's face for the first time since before he left for Mexico. Mitsu Matsubara: She is the mom of Dai, Kaoru and Shou Matsubara. She is a very good cook and is exceptionally gentle in contrast to her husband and kids. She also likes to smile a lot. Dai Matsubara: He is the older brother of Kaoru and Shou. We don't see him much but all we know is he is rough and tumble. Shou Matsubara: He is the younger brother of Kaoru and Dai Matsubara. He is also rough and tumble. Hachizou and Kakiko Akatsutsumi: They are the parents of Momoko and Kuriko Akatsutsumi. The mom gives the girls candy all the time and also buys them anime DVDs to cheer them up. We haven't seen much of them but of what we can see they are very friendly, nice and caring. Minor allies Oh-Edo Chaki-Chaki Girls (大江戸ちゃきちゃき娘, Ōedo Chakichaki Musume?, lit. "Genuine Great Edoite Girls" or "Leading Girls of the Great Edo"): Three girls who protected Edo from Him, as revealed in episode 30 (Edo eventually became Tokyo City; see History of Tokyo). A long time ago in Edo, when Him was terrorizing its citizens, a man named Kennai Hiraga, who is modeled after Hiraga Gennai, created the special substance "Kennainum He," the original Chemical Z, and poured it on three girls: Momo, Omiya, and Okou. The substance changed their appearance, giving them new hairstyles (now similar to their present day counterparts) and kimonos (the bottom portion is shorter than normal, resembling mini skirts, the colors match the Powerpuff Girls Z, and their sashes are black with the symbols of the Powerpuff Girls Z), as well as their own powers and weapons. The three were given the name Oh-Edo Chaki-Chaki Girls and their purpose was to stop Him from causing more damage to Edo. The three faced and successfully defeated Him, whose weakness to the cold became his undoing. Together with Kennai Hiraga, they were able to drain Him's powers and seal his body in a coffin. The Oh-Edo Chaki-Chaki Girls can be seen as the heroines who preceded the present day Powerpuff Girls Z and may in fact be their ancestors. Because of his defeat, Him has a deep hatred towards the Oh-Edo Chaki-Chaki Girls and directs that hatred towards the Powerpuff Girls Z for their resemblance to them. Similarly to the Steamypuff Girls from the original Powerpuff Girls cartoon, they both stopped a great villain from a previous era. **'Momo' (もも, Momo?, Seiyū: Emiri Katou): The Oh-Edo Chaki-Chaki Girls' version of Blossom and possible ancestor of Momoko. Her personality is a little different from Momoko's as she appears to act as the voice of reason (she tries to stop an argument between Omiya and Okou about who should say the most in their intro). Her hair is brown and her pony tail is shorter. Her weapon is a coin tied to a red thread and is used similarly to Blossom's Yo-yo. Her main attack is: "Special Move! Mitarashi Dango Attack". **'Omiya' (おみや, Omiya?, Seiyū: Nami Miyahara): The Oh-Edo Chaki-Chaki Girls' version of Bubbles and possible ancestor of Miyako. Her personality is similar to Miyako's as she acts polite, enjoys her new kimono, and is very cheerful and innocent. Her hair style is similar to Miyako's except that her pig tails are replaced with buns, and she wears a flower on her bangs (where the blue hair clip usually is when Miyako transforms into Bubbles). Her weapon is a fan which allows her to blow gusts of wind at her opponent. Her main attack is: "Windy Fan". **'Okou' (おこう, Okō?, Seiyū: Machiko Kawana): The Oh-Edo Chaki-Chaki Girls' version of Buttercup and possible ancestor of Kaoru. Her personality appears to be somewhat similar to Kaoru's as she argues with Omiya and, like Kaoru, enjoys the new power she received. Her bangs are similar to Kaoru's, but her hair is more tidy and, in comparison to the other girls, changes the least when she transforms. Her weapon is a mallet that is powerful enough to nearly deform Him on contact. Her main attack is: "Special Move! Daruma Otoshi". Powerpuff Boys Z: Only appeared in episode 37. This team consists of Ken, Professor Utonium and Peach. It was formed because the girls had to take a test, and the school principal didn't want them to transform during the exam. Ken, Professor Utonium and Peach's alter-egos are Ken Kitazawa Z, Utonium Z and Peach Z respectively. They fought the Gangreen Gang, Fuzzy Lumpkins, Mojo Jojo and the Amoeba Boys. They won, but it was only luck. Ken Kitazawa Z has no main attacks and he uses gadgets like a chewing gum, a bowling ball and a broomstick to fight. Utomium Z, inspired by PowerProf from the original series, is the most powerful member of the team. He uses his cyber suit to fly and fires lasers from his gloves (Similar to Iron Man) and his forehead. His main attack is the "Uto Beam." Peach Z fights with a nunchaku made of bones. While he has no main attacks, Peach Z is roughly a combination of Bruce Lee and Yoda from Star Wars: Episode II in fighting style. Dy.Na.Mo Z: First shown in the second opening and makes first appearance in episode 50. Originally thought to be a fighting mech by the PPGZ, the Professor actually tells them that it's a time machine used to collect the white light to be used to seal Him. Dy.Na.Mo Z is able to combine from the three minimechs that look like the heads of Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup (they never gave a name to these minimechs). Dy.Na.Mo Z is able to transform into a Bubbles and Buttercup Mode as well, each with their own ability. Dy.Na.Mo Z's main ability is "Time Warp" for all three modes. Blossom is the standard mech able to travel at supersonic speeds. It is the most articulate of the three modes, able to move and even sit like her human counterpart. When in Blossom Mode, Blossom is in control using a split 2 handle bar similar to those used in airplanes. When the PPGZ were about to be attacked by Mojo's mech, the white light gave life to Dy.Na.Mo Z and was able to fight Mojo's mech all by itself, punching away at him. But then Him's black particles shorted out the white light and Dy.Na.Mo Z isn't able to move on its own. While in Bubbles Mode, it is able to travel on the ground like a tank and has clamps for hands, capable of moving very heavy objects. When in Bubbles Mode, Bubbles is in control using a steering wheel. And in Buttercup Mode, it has a drill for the right hand and a hammer for her left. Buttercup is in control this time using 2 lever switches similar in design to the many mechs found in anime series such as Gundam. Professor Utonium, Ken, and Peach are able to keep in contact with Dy.Na.Mo Z, even in different time eras, by using a Sync Helmet. Dy.Na.Mo Z is not without her glitches. While time traveling, the girls have no control as to where the time portal will open up in the target era. This proves problematic, as they tend to crash into objects or appear in inconvenient locations like underwater. A short circuit in the time engine (caused by Him as a way to stall for time) can reprogram Dy.Na.Mo Z to travel to alternate universes. The alternate universe it traveled to, just happened to be the universe of the origional PowerPuff Girls (The girls are seen shortly flying overhead).